1. Field
The exemplary embodiments relate to methods and apparatuses for controlling devices and, more particularly, to apparatuses that control a plurality of devices connected thereto, and control methods of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Owing to the development of information and communication technologies, it has become possible to add communication interfaces to a wide variety of devices such as sensors, washing machines, and refrigerators in addition to devices having intrinsic communication functionality such as smartphones and tablet PCs so as to establish a network connection to the devices and facilitate sharing of information between the devices.
A smart home is a system where various devices such as electric appliances, energy consuming devices, and security devices are connected to a network based on the information and communication technologies, and the smart home enables users to effectively control and manage the devices. In the smart home system, devices which are independent from each other, spaced apart from each other, and having different functions from each other may be interconnected to make a home environment more convenient and safer through communication and sharing information.
Currently, smart home systems are based on service rules, and the home environment operates according to the service rules. For example, if there is a service rule that ‘when the temperature is greater than or equal to 30 degrees (e.g., 30 degrees C.°), turn on an air conditioner’, the air conditioner operates automatically when the temperature measured in a designated location rises to 30 degrees or higher. The house devices may be automatically controlled in such a manner.
According to conventional smart home systems, however, the service rules may be excessively associated with a current environment, e.g., a home environment to which the service rules are applied, and thus may be effective only in the current environment but not applicable to an external smart home system. In other words, the service rules may not be shared between respectively different smart home systems. Thus, the service rules of conventional smart home systems lack the ability to be applied generally and in a convenient fashion.